Four Seasons: Abundance of winter recreation opportunities offered at CVNP

Friday

Dec 20, 2013 at 10:00 AM

The winter calendar of events for Cuyahoga Valley National Park quotes poet Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in appealing to seasonal sports enthusiasts.

Gary Brown CantonRep.com Writing Editor-at-large @gbrownREP

The winter calendar of events for Cuyahoga Valley National Park quotes poet Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in appealing to seasonal sports enthusiasts.

Winter is a great time to stop by Cuyahoga Valley and, as Frost did in his poem, watch the woods "fill up with snow," say park officials on the cover of the calendar.

"Winter strips nature down to the essentials, revealing a stark beauty," the calendar introduction explains.

Ranger-led hikes, cross-country skiing, and bird watching opportunities are among winter activities at Cuyahoga Valley. Activities often originate at the Winter Sports Center in Kendall Lake Shelter on Truxell/Kendall Park Road, two miles west of Akron-Cleveland Road near Peninsula. The Winter Sports Center is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays when there are at least four inches of snow on the ground. For snow depth call 330-657-2752.

Snowshoe rental at the center is $5 for a full day. Cross-country ski rental (when snow is six inches in depth) is $15 for a full day and $7.50 for three hours. Snowshoes also can be rented at the Boston Store Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Park ranger Paul Motts will teach a beginner cross-country skiing workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Kendall Lake Shelter. The fee is $10 with equipment and $15 with equipment rental. To register call 330-657-2752. The workshop will be repeated Jan. 4, Jan. 11, and Feb. 1.

All of Boston Mills remains open, along with about half of Brandywine and six lanes at Polar Blast. Snowmaking continued earlier this week, and with temperatures expected to dip again this weekend all three areas were expected to be open Saturday and Sunday.

According to information emailed by officials at the resorts, late night sessions will begin at Brandywine and Polar Blast the weekend of Dec. 27-28, running from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. each night.

RESORT OF THE WEEK

Holiday Valley Ski Resort is in Ellicottville, N.Y. It boasts of 30 miles of skiing on 58 slopes and trails on 300 skiable acres served by 13 lifts (including three high-speed quads) over four mountain faces. Peak elevation is 2,250 and vertical drop is 750 feet. Holiday Valley offers night skiing on 37 slopes spread over 180 acres. The resort also has five terrain parks, a tubing area with 20 lanes, and 10 trails for cross-country skiing.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Stark County Park District will hold a free Winter Solstice Hike from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Molly Stark Park. Participants will enjoy the sunset and on the first day of winter, and hear a little history about the solstice.

ON THE CALENDAR

The Cavers & Climbers Club for the Wilderness Center will meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the Interpretive Center.

BY THE NUMBERS

Cross-country skiing is allowed in 33 of Ohio's state parks on more than 250 miles of multi-use trails.